Kin-D's Notes:  Yeah, I decided to put one last thing in this series for you all to enjoy.  It's an extra chapter, and really has nothing to do with the flow of the story, it's just I don't feel right re-posting a story that's very similar to the first chapter, especially as a one-shot.  So… it's an EXTRA!  *Explosions go off, confetti flies down, balloons float up into the sky, and general cheering is heard all around*  ^^;  A little over the top, but I can live with it..

This one was written a little while back, so it might not flow as well as the others, but you all have an idea of how I've built up the relationship between Sanosuke and Kaoru now, so it might make a bit more sense than if I'd posted this as the original "Tears for Tomorrow".  Sorry about forcing you all to read through a lot of the same stuff again, but I can't seem to bring myself to take any of it out, even if it is redundant, it just takes away from the story for me…  I hope you all understand.  Luckily, I've included a little marker that looks like this:

 )(---------------)(

So you'll be able to find where the story changes pace, in case you don't want to read everything that I wrote in the first chapter again.

Reviews:

            Nigihayami Haruko:  ^^  I am rather perverted at times, but I think it's funny the odd pairings people can come up with at times.  I'm not really a fan of Yaoi, but it seems half the stories about Sano are Sano/Kenshin, so I thought I'd poke fun at that a bit.  I'm not really that insight… okay, maybe a little.  Took me forever to get her thoughts exactly the way I thought they should be, but I think it turned out well enough! ^^

            Estelle Stafford:  Yeah, I liked that bit too.  I don't mean to make Kenshin seem stupid, but he does come off that way sometimes, especially when there's no one after his life.

            Serenity Blossom:  Ah gots da flow!  *Groves*  Right… .;;  Anyway, glad you liked it, cause I loved writing it!

            EEevee:  I'm a bit scared to ask, but how longs a bit?  Also, I love your story Responsibilities; it's just great, fantastic and all that!  ^^;  Not even I, the not very mighty and not quite yet manly Kinetic Dream, can resist the powers of a six year old.  O.o Tell my you're all right!  I don't think I could live if I killed a reviewer!  *cough* Your dogs are weird by the way…

donna8157:  I'll probably toss him in a dumpster somewhere… .  Kidding, kidding.

Una Persona:  I have a feeling I know this reviewer…  ^^;  Please, you didn't actually say that I was so great, I'm really just trying my best!

Wow, that always tires me out for some reason.  Doesn't mean stop writing them though!  ^^  Anyhow, moving on with the last chapter.  Lets take a look at what happens when I actually play, at least a bit, by the rules of the story.  Blah, rules…

*********

Kaoru wandered slowly through the empty dojo, her head hung low. It seemed that everything she'd been a part of for the last year of her life was becoming more and more meaningless as the days passed by. No one had heard from Sanosuke in days, not since the police had shown up and begun asking questions about where he might be hiding. Not even Katsu had a clue where the ex-gangster might have run off to, but Kaoru was sure he was still escaping the grip of the law, otherwise the patrols would have stopped by now. How long could he keep it up though? No one can hide forever. She sighed heavily, and walked into the training room of the Kamiya Dojo. Kenshin had gone out that morning to continue his search for their friend, and yet, even the former assassin couldn't find any clues that might lead them to Sano, either that, or he just wasn't saying anything to her about it. Kaoru laughed at that thought. Looking about, she smiled a little, and began talking to herself, if only to reassure herself that her friend was safe.

"Of course Kenshin would tell me if he found Sano, he means just as much to me as Kenshin and Yahiko, and Kenshin knows that. But still… both Saito and Kenshin are looking for him, and those two are the best that the government has to offer, yet not even they have been able to find a single clue as to where Sano might be. I just hope that Kenshin finds him first…" she finished, her voice trailing off into the wind. She bit her lip lightly, hoping that the infamous 'Wolf of Mibu' wouldn't sniff out her friend first, who knows what he might end up doing to the poor man.

Facing the back wall of the dojo, she fell to her knees in front of the small altar that rested there. Closing her eyes, she tried to forget that her friend's life could be on the line, and she couldn't do anything except wait and hope that something might happen.

"Please…" she whispered quietly, as if hoping her words would be light enough to be carried away on the wind, "Please keep yourself safe Sanosuke…"

The silence around her was quickly broken by the sound of someone snorting, as if disgusted. She jumped to her feet, grabbing a boken off the wall behind the altar.  Whirling around, she prepared to defend herself, the wooden weapon held tight in her outstretched arms. As she turned, she asked sharply, "What do you think you're doing in here…"

For a moment, time froze. She looked at the one who had intruded upon her, without announcing their arrival, and she felt herself unable to move. There he stood in the doorway, leaning his shoulder against the frame, that cocky grin plastered onto his face. Kaoru felt time begin to start up again, crawling at first, as he whispered, "…Sano…"

The young man winked at her, and smiled. Walking slowly, he made his way over towards her, and she began doing the same, her pace slow, almost unbelieving. As they neared the center of the room, he spoke.

"Ey Jou-chan, how's it goin?" he asked, his voice light and carefree, as if he didn't know that the entire Tokyo police force was after him.

Kaoru said nothing, continuing to walk. They met in the middle of the room, and stopped, each staring at the other. They stood that way for several moments, neither saying anything. Finally, Sano lifted his hand and waved it in front of Kaoru, a concerned look crossing his face as he asked, "Ey, what's up, whatcha starin at?"

She sighed, and looked into his eyes, then smiled. Sano, taking this as a good sign, smiled back, happy that she wasn't too pissed off at him for just disappearing like he had. However, his relief was short lived.

"SANO NO BAKA!" she roared, cracking the boken over his head repeatedly.

"GAH! God damnit!" he yelled as he turned and ran towards the doors, trying to get away from the insane assistant master who followed hot on his heels, continuing to attack the defenseless rooster-head.

He'd nearly made it to the door, when Kaoru threw the merciless wooden sword at his feet, sending Sano falling, face-first, onto the floor. Hopping over him, Kaoru slammed the sliding doors shut, knowing, if he given the chance, Sanosuke could easily make his escape, but she didn't plan on giving him that much time. She walked over to a very dazed Sanosuke, and, kneeling in front of him, lifted his head off the floorboards. His lip was bleeding slightly, and some of it had already stained the dojo floor. She gave him an evil glare.

"What's the big idea, huh? You've been missing for days, and no one's heard a word from you, where have you been!? Do you have any idea what you've put us through? Megumi has been panicking, wondering if you haven't died, and they just haven't found your body yet! Kenshin's been worried sick, just because he's your friend, Yahiko's been out patrolling with him this whole time, and Tae and Katsu don't know what to think! God, what's wrong with you? Don't you care that there are people who want to know that you're safe and sound, and who worry about you!?" she screamed, taking out days of frustration in under a minute. Sanosuke blinked a few times, then allowed his eyes to meet hers. Was that hurt in his eyes? "Of course not," she thought to herself, "Sano's never cared about what I've said before, why should he now?"

"What about you missy? I didn't hear you mention yourself when you were saying that everyone's been worried about me," he whispered quietly.

Kaoru stared at him for a moment, then snorted, turning her head to the side, as she responded, "Of course I was worried about you, you're my friend, and that's what friends do for each other."

Sano, managing to get his knees to support his weight, lifted himself to a kneeling position, then placed her chin into his hand, turning his wrist slightly so she was facing him again. His dark brown eyes stared into her light blue ones, almost wistfully, she thought. Then, in one swift movement, she found herself wrapped in his tight embrace, his body pressed hard against hers. Not expecting this, it took her a few moments to find her voice.

"Sano…" she began, whispering, "What's going on?"

"…I'm leaving, tomorrow morning," he responded, his voice breaking a little as he spoke.

Kaoru blinked in disbelief, unsure of what to think. She felt her heart break at the words, because Sanosuke, one of her dearest friends, was about to walk out of her life, possibly never to return. She managed to blink back the tears, as she encircled his body with her arms, rubbing his back softly, trying to comfort herself more than anything else.

"Where will you go?" was all she could ask, afraid that anything else might lead to her breaking down into tears. It was already hard enough to hold back the tears, and it became far more difficult with each passing moment.

"China, Mongolia, maybe even as far west as India, where ever the ship decides to take me."

"Sano, you're just going to leave us?"

"I have to. I can't stay here anymore. I don't want you all to have to harbor a criminal, and besides, they will find me eventually if I stay here, so it's the only real option, isn't it?" He chanced a glance back into her soft blue eyes, wincing slightly at the pain he saw in them, the pain he knew he was causing.

"There's nothing else?" Sighing, he shook his head, hanging it in something akin to guilt or shame.

"Unless I want to be imprisoned for crimes I didn't commit, then possibly executed? I don't think that anyone wants that to happen."

Kaoru hugged him tightly, a few tears falling to the dojo floor. Sano frowned, and pushed her away about an arms length. He looked into her gentle blue eyes, seeing them shimmer slightly. He bit his lip, and sighed, realizing he probably shouldn't have come and told her in person, it would probably have been easier just to leave a note in the dojo like he'd planned to originally, describing his whole plan in detail. But seeing her as she'd made her way through the empty dojo, seeming so depressed, he couldn't bring himself to leave with just a note, at least, not her. Kaoru looked away, sniffling slightly, trying to delay the imminent waterfall of tears. Sano took a deep breath, let it out quickly, and readied himself for what he'd decided to tell her.

Quietly, he rose to his feet, pulling the still clinging Kaoru with him. Letting go of her for a moment, he took a few steps back, out of her embrace, running both hands though his hair nervously. She stared at him in silence, lowering her gaze a little, biting her lip again, closing her eyes in a pitiful attempt to save face.

)(-------------------)(

"Jou-chan…" he began, his voice wavering a little.  Kaoru looked up at him, on the verge of breaking down, biting her lip hard, another attempt to slow the tears.  She didn't say anything, just stared into up at his face, wondering what else he might be trying to tell her.  The two stood in silence for several moments, simply staring at each other.  Then, Sano coughed, and looked away.

"… Never mind missy, I shouldn't have even shown up here anyway.  It was a mistake," he muttered, turning around and making his way for the doors that'd lead him to the dojo grounds.  Kaoru stared at his back for a moment, before walking up quickly behind him, and placing her hand on his shoulder, stopping him dead in his tracks.  She motioned for his to turn by pulling her hand towards her, cause the ex-gangster to spin slowly, until they were staring at each other once again.

"It must be pretty important," she began, "if you came to tell me yourself.  So… why are you here Sanosuke?"

            He winced out of habit.  She didn't call him Sanosuke unless she was about to kick his ass around the dojo, but this time, she looked concerned, as if she actually cared about what he wanted to tell her.  He took a deep breath, and let it out quickly.  Smiling, he whispered, "I love you Kaoru," then turned again, and began making his way back towards the door.

His pace quickened from before, as he hoped to escape her wrath, but, more importantly, the rage of his best friend, Kenshin.  There was no way that either of them was going to take this well, and he wanted to be far enough away when the shock wore off that they couldn't hurt him.  He didn't hear the rustle of her clothes as she jumped, nor her growl as she hurtled through the air towards him, but he did feel the impact of her body against his, as well as the floorboards impacting with his face for the second time that day.

She lifted his head off the floor again, and growled, "Sano… it's not nice to play games with the hearts of women, and I thought you would have figured that out by now."

He sneered, and snapped, "Who's playing games!?  I was being serious!  I don't kid about things like that, damnit.  Now, get off so I can get out of here!"

Kaoru sat, awestruck at what he'd just said.  "He actually meant it…" she thought, as the realization of what she'd just done sank in.  She hung her head in shame, realizing she'd probably screwed up one of the few solid relationships that she had in her life, not that his leaving wouldn't, but still, she felt incredibly guilty.  She got up slowly, muttering, "I… I'm sorry Sano.  Just, get up and…"

Sano rose to his feet, cracking his neck to the left, then the right, as he snorted, "Yeah, yeah, get the hell outta my dojo and never come back, right?"

Kaoru shook her head, and looked up into his eyes.  "Get up, and kiss me…"

With that, she jumped, embracing Sano, as she stretched up, bringing her lips to his, shutting her eyes tightly as she did so.  The confidant young man felt time stop as the woman he loved pressed herself closer to him, too dumbstruck to do anything for a moment.  Then, he wrapped his arms, gently, around her, closed his dark brown eyes to the light of the world, and pressed his lips back against hers.  They stood that way for several moments; lips locked together, arms entwined around each other's bodies, nothing breaking the stillness of the moment.  Then, Sano pulled away slowly, his eyes cracking open, trying to block out the spots that appeared from the reappearance of the light.  Kaoru did the same, opening her eyes quickly, and smiling up at him.

"Kaoru… why?" Sano asked, unable to figure out why this had happened.

"Because Sano, you and Kenshin… you both mean so much to me.  At first, you were like a brother to me, but I soon found that I loved both you and Kenshin so very dearly, to the point beyond a family-type bond," she responded in a whisper, tapping his forehead, as if it should have been common knowledge.

"But, why've you been chasing after Kenshin this whole time instead of both of us?"

"Because, by the time I realized that I loved you, you'd begun flirting with Megumi through your little word spats.  I didn't want to interfere."

Sano blushed, a little embarrassed by the entire situation.  The woman he loved had felt the same way for him all along, but he'd been too blind to realize it, now that really hurt.  Unable to think of anything else to say, he stammered, "Uh… eh… ah…"

Kaoru laughed, and placed a finger to his lips.  "Shhh…" she whispered.  "Don't worry Sano; this'll stay between us, all right?  Kenshin doesn't have to know, it'll be our little secret, okay?"

Sano nodded and slid a pair of notes into her hands as he turned around and began walking away again.  "The white one's for our little group, but the one with the blue symbol's for your eyes only jou-chan," casually tossing the words over his shoulder, as he made his way out into the dojo commons.

Kaoru looked down at the blue marked note.  The symbol on the front read, Aku, evil.  She opened it quickly and read:

Dear jou-chan,

If you're reading this, then I probably didn't have the strength to tell you it myself in person.  Throughout our adventures as the Kenshin-gumi, we've become stronger as a group, able to make up for someone else's weaknesses.  Some of us have grown in other ways too, like Kenshin.  He's obviously become very attached to you, more than any of us.  Except for me.  Jou-chan, I know it probably doesn't mean much anymore, but I love you.  I just wanted you to know that in case anything ever happens to me and I don't get to tell you in person.  I wish things could have been different between us that I might be able to stay, give Kenshin a run for his money in the race for your affections, but I think we all know who'd win in that race.  He's a much better man then I'll ever be, and so I'll leave you two to your own, while I go off on my own little journey.  Hopefully, I'll be able to find myself a jou-chan, but if not, promise me that you'll always be my little missy, even if my free-loading ways get on your nerves, and let me know that I'll always hold some place in your heart, at least as a friend.

Sayonara,

Sagara Sanosuke

As she looked up from reading it, she heard the dojo door shut, and sighed, then got to her feet, awaiting Kenshin's return to the dojo.  As she walked, she opened the other letter.  It had a time and place where they might be able to catch him tomorrow.  The Kenshin-gumi had plans to make if they were going to get down to the docks in time to see Sanosuke off, and that's exactly what she'd do.

That night, after both Kenshin and Yahiko had gone off to bed, Kaoru set about, writing a letter to Sanosuke.  Five minutes, and she was done, the words flowing easily.  She went to sleep that night, happy.

---------

"Good luck Sanosuke!" Yahiko shouted from the shoreline, waving his hands wildly over his head, as if his voice didn't carry far enough on its own.

Kenshin smiled, and nodded.  "Yes, good luck Sano.  May your journeys eventually lead you back to Japan."

Kaoru said nothing, just watched Sano's face as he opened the letter that she'd given him before the ship had pushed off.  He looked up, after reading it, and winked.  "Thanks jou-chan, this really means a lot," he whispered, hoping she'd hear.  She nodded, as if she'd actually been able to make out what he'd said, though by now the ship was well on it's way out to sea, the figures on the dock now only shades of what they'd been a few moments ago.

"Funny that," he thought.  "It's like watching a part of my past disappear, fading away into memories.  It hurts, but there's always a tomorrow, just over the next horizon."  Glancing over his shoulder, he saw only the open sea, stretching out for miles and miles.

Sano's eyes fell again to the paper, and he smiled, folding it up, and shoving it into his gi.  Leaning back against the railing of the ship, he allowed her words to run again and again through his head:

Of course you will Sanosuke, I said you meant that much to me.  And as for Kenshin, while he is a wonderful person, that doesn't mean you aren't.  Your short temper and attitude are what make you so wonderful to me; so don't ever sell yourself short.  If you ever do return to Japan, and Kenshin hasn't made a decision about what's to happen between us, I think that you might stand a chance.  You never know rooster-head, the tanuki-girl might be falling for you too…

Love always,

Kaoru Kamiya

*********

End Notes:  Ah yes, so very bittersweet, but I think it's pretty good.  I know I took a few liberties with the end of the story, but what the hell, it's not like I'm going to follow the book exactly, right?  Guidelines are for those who live by rules or are afraid to travel off the beaten path!

Oops, I shouldn't soap box, I have no idea what I'm talking about.  *blush*  Anyway, this was the original way I wrote the first (and last) chapter, lot more depressing than mine I think.  Of course, it's up to you all to decide for yourselves!  Write me a review about how I should have used this instead of my original story starter, and just stopped there, or about how much you loved/hated this little fanfic shpeel I shared with you all.  Heh, anyway, this ends the prologue, hope you all enjoyed this EXTRA *again with the explosions, balloons, confetti, and cheering* chapter!